


Story Time

by louisnoel



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, M/M, also implied iwaoi for the thirsties like me, idk what i did here, this probably does count as a
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-07
Updated: 2015-05-07
Packaged: 2018-03-29 11:18:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3894400
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/louisnoel/pseuds/louisnoel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daichi buys a flower for his date<br/>or the 5,000th flower shop AU nobody's asked for (featuring a coffee shop).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Story Time

Sawamura Daichi has never entered a flower shop before. There has never been any reason to.

Although he admits that there are countless occasions for which people buy flowers. Most of them do it for their loved ones, be it family or the significant other(s). Some do it because the people they still hold so dear have passed away and want to lessen their grief in a silent consolation. Others like the colourful way they can brighten your otherwise dull apartment or balcony. And then, there are people who want to meet someone new and make them a pleasant surprise to go with the first impression.

As is the reason Daichi walks into a flower shop for the first time in his life. A bell chimes when he enters, and the strong smell of uncountable different flowers hits him full on. He fails to resist his sudden urge to sneeze, not even ten steps in this living museum for flower-philes.

A tall man approaches him and laughs. He's wearing a mint green apron and brown work gloves. One hand is clasped around a pair of impressive pruning shears. "Don't worry," he says in a carefree tone that matches his boyish smile, "Tobio-chan does this to everyone he's just met. It's nothing personal." He air-pets something that looks like a Venus fly trap to the absolute expert that Daichi is.

"Oi, Oikawa," someone preparing bouquets behind the counter calls, "how many times have I told you to refrain from naming plants after your classmates?"

The man next to Daichi -- Oikawa -- snorts. "I'm two years his senior. And anyway, have you seen his grades? I bet he's still not graduated middle school."

"That's no reason to name anything after him."

Oikawa sighs and rolls with his eyes. In a split-second, his frown is replaced with a bright smile. "How can I help you?" Oikawa asks. Daichi opens his mouth to answer, but before a single syllable gets the chance to escape his lips, Oikawa continues talking in that chipper voice of his. "Wait, lemme guess... The way you're dressed, you're likely to go on a date."

Daichi looks down to inspect his clothes. He is wearing a short-sleeved white dress shirt, the two top buttons open as advised by his friend who never fails to button his own shirts up properly. The very same friend who told him to comb his hair while suffering from his usual case of untameable bed hair. Even though it is a warm and sunny summer day, Daichi is sporting tight black jeans and shoes that look like a cross between formal dress shoes and everyday street vans. "...Do I look okay?" he asks in a small voice, a faint blush creeping up his neck.

Oikawa barks out a laugh. "You'd be better off asking my colleague. He won't stop whining about all the well-dressed, good looking guys walking in here." He points toward the counter with his thumb. "There's the cut flowers you'll want, anyway." Daichi nods, ready to go, when Oikawa creeps closer to him and whispers, "You look fine. I probably won't hear the end of this imminent encounter of yours."

"Thanks," Daichi says before making his way to the counter. The man he has only heard before is still binding bouquets but looks up when Daichi approaches. His light hair catches the sunlight streaming in in a way that makes him appear to have a halo. His lips smile as easily as his eyes do, crinkling slightly at the outer corners.

And Daichi doesn't want to go on this stupid date anymore. At least not with that person he doesn't know anything of, but instead with this beautiful stranger he knows just as little, beaming at Daichi like he is the best thing he's ever laid eyes on. Why has he agreed to this blind date again? It's been a terrible idea from the beginning.

"So," the man says, still smiling, "what's the occasion?"

"Uh," Daichi says, peak of his intelligence reached, mouth dryer than a desert, "uhm. A, uh, a blind date."

"Oh." The man keeps smiling but Daichi can tell he's forcing it now. "Do you know anything about what they're like?

Daichi shrugs. His own smile is wavering. "Nope. Only that we're supposed to be a 'perfect match', but I doubt that's true."

"How come?" The man tilts his head to the side, and isn't this a cute habit, Daichi wonders.

"My one friend set me up and every single person he's introduced to me so far has been..." his eyes dart to the side and he hopes he's not just accidentally witnessed Oikawa dancing between the rows of plants, "let's say challenged."

He looks back at the man to see him grin and Daichi can't help mirroring his expression. "Just go there, give them a chance, and if it turns out to be as unpleasant as you fear," he shrugs, "I don't look the part but I have an alien affinity for date disasters."

"So you're offering me to vent on you?" Daichi chuckles (not only at the absurdity of the offer but also at Oikawa's muffled, "Did someone mention aliens?").

The man giggles -- giggles! -- in response, and it's one of the most mesmerising sounds Daichi has ever experienced. "Sure, why not?" His sudden change of subject throws Daichi off, though. "I'd suggest bringing a single flower, not a whole bouquet, if you're seeing them for the first time." Daichi nods. "I recommend something simple, such as this stunning," he turns around to take a flower that reminds Daichi of a sunflower but in red, "specimen." He holds the flower toward Daichi.

He takes it and smells at it. The fragrance is light but pleasant all the same. "It's a beautiful flower," Daichi comments, not sure what else to say.

"The gerbera stands for cheerfulness. Most flowers symbolise love or admiration of some sort, so this is one you can play it safe with." The man gazes at the red flower with affection. "Of course, many people give certain flowers their own meanings because of personal experiences."

Daichi nods. He becomes very aware that he doesn't know how to reply to a lot of things this man says and ends up blushing. "Uh, thanks a lot for your advice. I'd like to buy this, uh..."

"Gerbera." There's this sugary giggle again.

"Right! This gerbera!" It sounds as forced as the smile he puts on to cover up his embarrassment looks. To distract from his struggles, Daichi takes out his wallet. The other man is still giggling, but it's obvious he's just amused and not making fun of Daichi. He wraps the flower's stem with both care and precision in red paper.

He's unaware they wouldn't talk anymore this day when he holds the gerbera out to Daichi who almost rips it out of the other man's delicate fingers and slams a bill that's sure to cover at least a whole bouquet down on the counter before rushing out the flower shop and down the roach. Daichi doesn't hear the man's desperate wail for Oikawa.

* * *

Daichi's stomach tightens the closer he draws to his destination. His heart is doing its best to give out about 60 years too early for Daichi's liking, and his hands are soaked in their own sweat. He fears they smell on top of their unpleasant wetness. Long story short, Daichi doesn't feel presentable in the least.

Still, he pushes the door open, bell chiming the same way it had yesterday. He knows it's too late to chicken out now, and the door falls shut behind him with a dull and final thud.

Daichi sneezes.

"Remember when I said it's nothing personal?" Oikawa, again clad in his mint green apron, dances up to Daichi. "Tobio-chan seems to hold a grudge." He looks genuinely puzzled with his eyebrows drawn down and his lips pushed outwards in a pout. "Sorry. I never got him."

"Oikawa," someone calls from further back in the store, and Daichi recognises his pleasant voice at once, "has it ever occurred to you that perhaps your 'Tobio-chan' doesn't like _you_?"

Oikawa turns in time with Daichi, who can't see anything past this one high shelf. Stupid. Oikawa's extra centimetres in height plus him standing on his tip-toes do the trick. "Your Prince Charming is back, so show some manners, Suga!" Daichi blushes and he might have got a little angry, but at least he now knows the other florist's name, and this is enough to paint a small smile on his face instead of a frown.

"Wh-What?" a faded stutter sounds in the room.

"You're not over him already, are you?" Oikawa nods over his shoulder at Daichi and starts leading him through a maze of plants. To where, Daichi doesn't know. He doesn't even know why he trusts this man.

"I-I'm not present...able..." The word dies on his lips when Oikawa pushes Daichi through a curtain of ivy and he finds himself standing in front of Suga, the latter's face smeared with dirt on one cheek.

Daichi raises one of his hands in an unsure greeting. He's very aware of his reddened cheeks. "Hi."

Suga blinks and stares. Not in horror, but like a deer caught in the headlights. One of his hands shakes as if he's indecisive about something. His Adam's apple bops when he swallows. A shaky and unsure, "H-Hey," is his final reaction.

"I'm not, uh, interrupting you, am I?" Both Daichi's smile resolution waver.

Suga puts on a contagious, bright smile that sees Daichi regain some confidence in his own curved up lips again. "No. I'd just like to wash up a little if you don't mind."

"No." Daichi touches the back of his neck and his sweaty palm reminds him of one little unpleasant something. "Actually, I, uh, I'd like to wash my hands if it's okay."

Suga blinks, tilting his head a little to one side. Damn, he is too cute whenever he does this... "Sure. But, if you don't mind me asking, what's wrong with your hands?"

"They're so sweaty they're immensely uncomfortable," Daichi says with a sheepish smile.

Suga giggles. "All right, follow me." He turns around and walks through the maze of shelves, plants, soil, pots and assorted gardening tools almost a little too fast for Daichi to keep up with him and not knock anything over in the process. Suga is only marginally shorter than Daichi but his built is more slender and allows him to sneak through the shop's decoration with ease. He stops in front of an unassuming door as brown as the wall surrounding it so suddenly that Daichi almost walks right into Suga's back. Almost. Suga looks over his shoulder, a light, happy smile natural on his -- in Daichi's opinion -- beautiful face. "We're here," he says before turning back to the door and opening it.

Daichi shuffles though after him and they have to descend a flight of stairs to arrive at what resembles simple and basic facilities. There are three sinks with mirrors mounted on the wall over each of them. Two different types of soap, and paper towels along with normal ones are placed on the sinks and to their left, respectively.

"By the way," Suga says as he adjusts the water temperature, "I didn't catch your name yesterday."

"It's Sawamura Daichi," Daichi says, grateful for the cool water washing the sweat off his hands and watching Suga out of the corner of his eyes. He's smiling. "Just Daichi is fine."

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Daichi," Suga says as he's carefully scrubbing at his face. Daichi likes the way his name sounds in Suga's light voice. (He also likes Suga's manners, he belatedly adds.) "I'm Sugawara Koushi, but everyone calls me 'Suga'." He shrugs. "Even Oikawa."

"Your colleague."

"That's the one." Suga sighs, still scrubbing his cheek clean. "He's obsessed with naming everyone and everything. He probably thinks it's an endearing personality trait or something."

Daichi snorts. He's finished washing his hands and towels them off. "What's up with this 'Tobio-chan'?"

Suga sighs, then presses a towel to his face. When he removes it, he rolls his eyes. "Apparently, that's what he called one of his kouhais and for some reason I will never be able to comprehend he deemed it a fitting name for the Akai Ryu." When Daichi gives him a blank stare, Suga adds, "The red carnivorous plant."

"And he does this to 'everyone and everything'?" He raises an eyebrow.

Suga towels off his hands. "One time a cactus, an infant ferocactus if you're interested, fell on his, I'm quoting, mind you, 'beautiful face', because he knocked the shelf over, and now the cactus stands alone in Oikawa's, again quoting, 'corner of shame', and responds to 'Iwa-chan'." Daichi wonders how a cactus responds to names, but he can't hold in his laughter any longer, and his outburst paints a gorgeous grin onto Suga's face. "For the record, I have no idea who this Iwa person is, but I feel more sorry for him than for Oikawa."

"Aw, aren't you a bit unfair?" Daichi wheezes out.

"Nah." Suga shakes his head and his hair whips around his head a little. It's cute, Daichi thinks with a smile. "You gotta know that Oikawa and this Iwa, the human one, are friends or so, and according to Oikawa the ferocactus looks exactly like him, although the cactus is taller." Suga puts on an expression so deadpan he looks like a different person altogether. "The cactus is 30 centimetres, give or take."

Another wave of laughter hits Daichi. He has to hold onto something to keep himself from doubling over. His stomach hurts so he grips the sink he's used before, half-choking on his laughter that's starting to become embarrassing. He manages a weak, "Sorry," then realises that Suga has joined his laughter.

He can will himself to stop with fair ease, though. "Don't worry about it," Suga says with a bright smile. "If I were you, I'd have lost it way sooner. Oikawa is just," he looks to the side for a second, then straight back into Daichi's eyes, "not from this planet." Suga grins. "Remind me to tell him this. He'll take it as a compliment, the alien-obsessed man-child that he is."

Daichi follows Suga back up into the shop. "He seems to be..."

"...'one of a breed'?" Suga suggests.

Daichi nods. "Yes. But fun to be around all the same."

There's the cute giggle again. "Let's say it never gets boring." Suga leads him back up and they emerge in the maze of the flower shop again. Oikawa, standing in the far corner and talking to a customer quickly flashes a row of hand signs in their direction.

"What was that?" Daichi asks, unsure, head whipping to a startled looking Suga. He feels left out of their conversation as if he isn't supposed to know what it was about. As if it's about him.

"Sign language." Suga regains his composure and smiles.. "This shop is big and when Oikawa and I can see each other, we just sign us. We agree that shouting around plants is something to refrain from."

"And what did he say just now?" Daichi asks. His eyes narrow in suspicion when Suga takes off his apron.

"He'll pull double shift if," Suga draws air quotes, "'Prince Charming' takes me out to dinner." He smiles and his cheeks turn rosy.

"And," is all Daichi manages before his brain catches on and he tries his best not to turn red as well. "And," he tries again, "who's this 'Prince Charming'?"

Suga giggles. "It's Oikawa for 'Daichi'." He raises his eyebrows and smiles. "It's okay if you don't want to do this." His voice grows heavy with something, though. "Just... getting a coffee and talking would count."

Daichi grins. "I have to admit that dinner with you sounds lovely." It's good to be able to paint a smile on the other man's face. "Even more so in the face of the absolute catastrophe that was yesterday..."

"Oh," Suga sounds excited, "you have to tell me all about it! I love date disasters!"

Daichi chuckles. "So I've heard."

* * *

To not let them end up anywhere even remotely close to where Daichi spent yesterday's date, Suga lets him pick today's place. On the way there -- and with some backtracking from Daichi's side here and there because he doesn't know where to got at first -- they make pleasant small talk but they learn nothing specific about one another. It's nice, though, being able to freely talk to the person you've grown to like quite a lot in the limited time frame you've known each other, Daichi muses to himself, accompanied by both smile and blush.

The place they end up at is a small café (no, Daichi doesn't realise this isn't a good place to go for "dinner") with a nonetheless respectable amount of customers. Daichi's eyes dart back and forth between Suga and the café. Suga giggles and says, "I like it here."

"Then it's settled." Daichi smiles brightly. Suga beams back at him in return, eyes closed and cheeks pink. They stay standing like this for almost a full minute before Daichi breaks the ice by walking over to the already open door. "After you."

"Quite the gentleman, huh?" Suga says as he passes him.

As soon as Daichi has entered after him, a waiter a little taller but a lot buffer than him approaches them. His professional smile looks like a tool of murder. Daichi wonders what he looks like with a smile that's genuine instead of forced. "Would you like a table closer to the centre of the room or one at a window?"

Daichi looks at Suga out of the corners of his eyes. He catches the message and claps his hands while answering. "The window one would do just fine."

The waiter nods once. "Follow me, please." Daichi is glad he doesn't have to see this forced smile any longer and lets the waiter lead him and Suga to the table in question. "Is this okay?"

"Yes, very good," Suga answers and takes a seat. Daichi sits down opposite him.

As soon as his butt connects with the soft cushioning of the seat, the waiter asks, "What do you want to order?" He pulls out a small notepad and a short pencil that seems ridiculously tiny in his big hands (and like he's stolen it from Ikea).

Suga smiles at him. The waiter doesn't even try to lift the corners of his mouth in a fear-inducing imitation anymore. "A coffee with milk and two sugars, please."

The waiter hums as he takes notes. He turns to Daichi. "Black for me."

The waiter fills his notepad with more scribbles. When he turns to leave them to themselves, Suga calls after him, "Do you, by any chance, have a menu?"

Daichi doesn't expect the waiter to turn and answer, but to his pleasant surprise, he, well, does. "Is it okay if I bring it with your orders?"

"Sure," Suga says. He rests his head on one of his hands and smiles at Daichi. "This is a nice place."

"I agree. Although the personnel..."

Suga shrugs. "He probably just has a bad day or something. Maybe his dog died, or he struggles with a break-up."

"Aren't you an optimist?" Daichi grins.

Suga's own turns sly, his eyes narrowing to slits. His resemblance to a fox is uncanny. "The whole concept of him having an unexpectedly bad day is in itself optimistic. It implies his other days are better."

Daichi chuckles. "Okay, you're right."

Suga giggles in a tee-hee way, his usual expression of good-natured openness back. "So," he says, "instead of the waiter's potential personal problems, why don't we talk about your date disaster."

Daichi shrugs. "It was more like a disaster date."

"Doesn't matter." Suga smiles and raises his head a little. "I'm hooked."

"Already?" Daichi raises an eyebrow.

Suga's eyes sparkle. "If there's one thing in the world I could listen to all day, it's stories about dates gone horribly wrong. For whichever reason."

"Schadenfreude much?"

Suga laughs. Daichi joins in, and they only stop when someone clears their throat with a force that might have damaged their vocal chords. It hasn't. "Your orders," the waiter says and places two mugs, filled to the brim, without spilling a single drop. "And your menus." He produces two menus bound in black seemingly from Hammerspace. (Daichi suspects the man is just an expert in extreme balancing, not a sorcerer, though.)

"Thanks," Daichi and Suga say in unison and burst into another wave of laughter. By the time they've calmed down again, the waiter is gone.

Daichi takes a sip from his strong, hot coffee. He gazes over the mug's rim to see Suga's head still being perched on the palm of his hand. A serene smile covers his face. "I'm waiting for story time," he drawls.

Daichi's heart melts. He sets his mug down and points to the menu. "Let's decide on something to eat first?"

Suga sighs, but it's so overdramatic that Daichi can tell it's not earnest. "All right. But just so you know: I'm getting impatient."

"My bad conscience is killing me from the inside already."

"Aw. Don't die on me." Suga giggles, then buries his face in one menu. Daichi takes the other one and skims the pages in the hopes to catch something good, fast. But there's too much content. Why does a small café produce menus rivalling with one of a restaurant, at least in length?

"What will you take?" Daichi asks.

Suga puts the menu down and smiles at Daichi. "Pancakes seems like the most dinneresque food they offer."

"Sorry, I shouldn't--"

Suga grins. "Lucky you I have a sweet tooth."

Daichi's cheeks grow hot, and he can't tell if it's embarrassment or his rapidly developing crush. "Y-Yeah, lucky me." Suga giggles and Daichi becomes ever more confused. "A-Anyway," he stutters again, and he prays silently that he doesn't end up making an utter fool out of himself, "pancakes sound great."

"Then it's decided!" Suga's excited, elated grin and simultaneous clap in the hands make Daichi's heart skip a beat. Suga waves the waiter from earlier to their table. "We'd both like to order pancakes."

"Anything to go with 'em? Jam? Apple sauce? Maple syrup? Whipped cream? Cinnamon?"

Suga shoots Daichi a wide-eyed look of helplessness, overwhelmed by the amount of choices he has. Daichi's heart flutters. He doesn't only want to help, he needs to, he's expected to. "Jam for me. Do you have cherry?"

"Sure," the waiter replies with a nod.

Before he gets the chance to ask Suga, Daichi improvises with thinking about as much as all day already, "Great, I'll take that, then. And a round of whipped cream for--"

"For your date," the waiter nods at Suga whose blush looks better than Daichi imagines his own. His cheeks burn and the strong urge to hide his face is hard to ignore. He is 24, damn it, not 14! And the waiter? He jots down some more scribbles and leaves them alone, his face betraying nothing.

"Speaking of dates," Suga breaks the silence, "you still owe me a story." He rests his head on his hand again and takes a sip from his coffee.

"Right. So." Great, he's already struggling. He concentrates on his coffee and gathers his nerves. Something feels just plain wrong about talking about a date when you are on another one (if the waiter's perception is to be trusted, that is). When he sets down his mug, he starts again. "For some reason, I let one of my friends organise me a blind date. I should've known what I'd get myself into. I should have." Suga's glance is questioning enough. "He's a goofball. The biggest section of his brain seems to be dedicated to 'fun'. His idea of fun, anyway."

Suga giggles. "I'm glad I'm not the only one with a questionable taste in friends."

Daichi chuckles, covering up his hope that this remark doesn't refer to himself. "So this friend knows many people. And every other week he moans like a freaking cat about how my status as 'bachelor'," he rolls with his eyes, "he's blowing it out of proportion," Suga nods, "is unacceptable and that he knows just the right person to introduce to me."

"You take him up on his offers, though."

"Only when he won't shut up and renders my phone useless by constant texting and," Daichi pulls his phone out of his pants pocket, "just see for yourself." He opens his messages from Kuroo, scrolls up a little and hands his phone to Suga.

His eyes widen when he sees the texts, consisting of a single character each (in kana, no less) and spelling out the actual messages in the most excruciating way possible. "Wow. I'm at a loss for words." Suga holds out his hand to return the phone to Daichi, then pulls it back again and asks, "Do you want me to save my number?"

Daichi blinks. A blush spreads over his cheeks. "Please." His eyes lock with Suga's for a moment, then Suga's gaze drops to the phone screen and he taps away on it.

"Is it all right if I call myself so I have your number as well?" Suga looks up with a smile between reddened cheeks.

Daichi sounds more excited than he wants to. "Sure, go ahead!"

Suga taps on the screen some more before handing the phone back to Daichi. "Here." He takes out his own phone and moves his fingers swiftly across the screen before putting it back. "Thank you."

"No, thank _you_." They share a laugh that turns from awkward into good-natured and fun.

"Sirs," a voice interrupts them and both turn in its direction to find the waiter from before standing there. He somehow balances two full plates with pancakes on one arm, and both the jam and whipped cream in jars with a spoon each on the other one. When he sets the plates down on the table, Daichi sees the forks and knives on them, placed next to the pancakes. "Your orders." He places the toppings in the middle of the table. "I hope you'll like it."

"Oh, I sure will," it slips out of Suga's mouth, and his panicky expression combined with the hand clasping his mouth make it obvious that his brain-to-mouth filter is taking a break.

What neither of them expect, though, is the waiter cracking a small but genuine smile. "Eat up, then," he says before leaving them on their own once again, his smile still spread across his features.

Daichi shares a look with Suga but doesn't voice his surprise. Nor does he go, "I knew it!" because the waiter's real smile suits him so much better than the forced emulation from before. Instead, they stay silent. Suga smiles, his eyes lightening up and his cheeks reddening. Daichi's lips pull upwards, mirroring the other man's expression.

"Well," Suga says, "let the pancakes cool down a little while--"

"--I continue." Daichi chuckles good-naturedly.

"I think I sound like I'm getting on your nerves with my constant nagging."

Daichi waves with one hand in a dismissive gesture. "It's fine." He empties his mug and sets it aside before he resumes his story. "So, my friend kept pestering me, conveniently, but, as he assured me several times, completely coincidentally appearing around every other corner, and talking non-stop about all those 'perfect matches' for me I'd yet to get to know. And, well, you don't know me well enough--"

"Yet," Suga adds with a sheepish grin.

"--but my patience is in fact limited, and he wore it down to the point of me snapping. But I don't want to look like an angry French bulldog next to that giant, so I suppress my urges around him." Suga raises his hand. "Yes?"

"I have problems picturing you as a French bulldog." His grin is cheeky.

"You're not supposed to!" Suga giggles, his eyes squeezed shut, and Daichi's pseudo-rage is replaced by a heart-warming flutter in his chest. No grown man should be able to look like this. This meaning "cute". Or rather cuter than he looks all the time already... Daichi exhales. He's falling, and he's falling hard.

He swallows.

"Uh, anyway," he says, hand reaching for the back of his neck, "I didn't want this friend getting on my nerves any longer so I accepted his offer."

"Not the first time you have, huh."

Daichi nods. His lips are a straight, thin line. "You don't want to know the extent of pain and suffering this guy has put me through so far."

"Oh," Suga grins, "I wouldn't be so sure of that."

"Sadism much?" Daichi grins now, his smile widening the instant Suga begins to giggle.

His smile turns teasing. "It would be no fun to tell you everything from the get-go, would it?"

At this remark, Daichi raises an eyebrow. And, well, he has to admit this isn't the right place to find out, and by extension probably not the right time either. Daichi shifts his gaze to the still steaming pancakes right in front of him, then he locks eyes with Suga again. "All right. Where was I?"

"Right before the actual date disaster, I guess?"

"Yeah. My friend told me the time and place to show up at, and he gave me all kinds of tips on how to dress and so on. I went into your flower shop to, well, get a flower. You know that part."

Suga hums in agreement. "Yep."

Daichi nods, gaze dropping to his pancakes once again. "I arrived five minutes early. We were supposed to meet over a coffee in some other café. So. I sat there, waiting. After what felt like forever, I checked the time. Fifteen minutes. Twenty."

"Did they show up at all?" Suga asks. His eyes shine when Daichi corrects his "they" to "he".

"Yeah, twenty-two minutes too late. Real tall guy, almost twenty centimetres taller than me."

"I feel like a midget." Suga pouts.

Daichi laughs. "Don't. You're average, and this is a story for another time, but I prefer people about my own height for a reason."

Suga inclines his head. "One sentence summary?" He grins like a child begging for extra sweets. "Pretty please?"

"It's embarrassing."

Suga shrugs. "Isn't everything you've told me so far?"

Daichi sighs, eyes narrowing in resignation before he can see Suga's triumphant grin. "Daichi is pulled up into the air like a child because he has over-stained his toes from standing on his tip-toes for way too long once during a make-out session, and the doctor's told him to never have such stupid ideas ever again."

Suga blinks. "I have conflicted feelings. Should I laugh or--"

"If you want to?" Daichi shrugs and puts on a smile to show he's a-okay with this. He doesn't admit out loud that Suga's merry laughter brightens his mood, and he also doesn't confess that he's impressed by the other man's self-control.

Suga waves one hand dismissively. "I think I'm good."

Yes, Daichi is definitely impressed. He draws up one eyebrow but doesn't continue to stray from the path any longer. Those pancakes smell good and make his mouth water. "Back to topic. So the guy showed up, introduced himself, motor-mouthing so hard that I didn't quite catch his name but it was some unpronounceable foreign string of sounds I wouldn't be able to reproduce anyway. And, well, he just wouldn't stop talking. I didn't even get the chance to introduce myself." Daichi shrugs. "I'm sure my friend briefed him, though." He shakes his head at the memories. "Anyway, the guy spilt _both_ our coffees." Suga snorts and covers his mouth and nose with one hand. Daichi raises a single finger and grins. "It gets better. He spilt the drinks while waving his phone in my face," Suga's snorting worsens, "because he wanted to show me the, and the number is accurate, I haven't forgotten his repetitious reminders, the 312 cats he's taken pictures of so far."

Suga is losing it. Daichi can't blame him. The story sounds ridiculous even to him, and relaying what has only taken place yesterday makes him feel weirdly detached from the events. "I'm sorry," Suga wheezes out between hiccuped laughter.

Daichi waits for him to regain his composure. "Don't worry about it." His smile becomes lop-sided. "Well, the whole date pretty much consisted of him talking like a waterfall. I swear he only paused to inhale. Ironically, I forgot most of what he told me. I... wasn't interested at all." Suga's eyes light up at this. "He wasn't, either. He told me so after, like, three hours of constant babbling and just walked off."

"Wow." Suga is rendered speechless. He giggles first, then bursts into cheerful laughter once again. Daichi smiles, his cheeks growing hot and his heart racing. He suddenly gets why some guys try to embarrass themselves on purpose in front of their crushes.

"Does this qualify as one of your beloved date disasters?" Daichi grins toothily.

"Oh, absolutely!" Suga claps his hands in appreciation.

"Too bad I won't be having any more of these any time soon, I hope." The words slip out without Daichi having any recollection of having used his brain first.

Suga's reply is just as shocking to him. "Oh," he says, not making eye contact like he has done all day, and Daichi's heart sinks. He's gone too far, moved on too fast, his mind screams at him. His throat closes up, and he wants to take everything back. He opens his mouth to apologise and back out when Suga hesitantly meets his eyes, his cheeks coloured a bright pink. "Of course. I sure hope you won't be turning my love for date disasters against me... even though you seem to have some experience..."

Daichi's heart makes up for all the precious seconds it's stopped beating in an instant, pounding harder against his chest than ever. "I can assure you I've never been the one at fault." He grins the happiest grin of his life up until now. "And I don't want this to turn into one so I'd suggest eating up."

Suga hums in agreement, chair creaking against the floor as he shuffles closer to Daichi. "You'll let me try your topping, too, right?"

Before Daichi can reply, Suga reaches over the table and snatches the cherry jam. He giggles as he does this, and it doesn't take more for Daichi to know that he won't mind spending a lot more dates with Sugawara Koushi.

**Author's Note:**

> hijackedbylou.tumblr.com


End file.
